INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL, OTHERWISE CALLED THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. A'S S this is a continuation of the preceding history, without any interruption, it can scarcely. be called another book. Originally this and the preceding made but one book, and they have been separated without reason or necessity. For a general account of both, see the preface to the first book of Samuel. It is generally allowed that this book comprehends a period of forty years, from about A. M. 2949 to 2989. See the prefixed chronological account. It has been divided into three parts: in the first we have an account of the happy commencement of David's reign, chap. i-x. In the second, David's unhappy fall, and its miserable consequences, chap. xi.-xviii,. In the third, his restoration to the Divine favour, the re-establishment of his kingdom, and the events which signalized the latter part of his reign, chap. xix.–xxiv. THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. Year from the Creation, 2949.-Year before the Incarnation, 1055-Year before the first Olympiad, 279.— Year before the building of Rome, 302-Year of the Julian Period, 3659.-Year of the Dionysian Period, 467.-Cycle of the Sun, 19.-Cycle of the Moon, 11. CHAPTER I. An Amalekite comes to David, and informs him that the Philistines had routed the Israelites; and that Saul and his sons were slain, 1-4. And pretends that he himself had despatched Saul, finding him ready to fall alive into the hands of the Philistines, and had brought his crown and bracelets_to_David, 5-10. David and his men mourn for Saul and his sons, 11, 12, He orders the Amalekite, who professed that he had killed Saul, to be stain, 13-16. David's funeral song for Saul and Jonathan, 17–27. A. M. 2949. B. C. 1055. An. Exod. Isr. 436. f B. C. 1055.. An Exod. Isr. A. M. 2949. 436. Ammo ante NOW it came to pass after the As I happened by chance upon death of Saul, when David Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was returned from the slaughter leaned upon his spear; and, lo, 1. Olymp. 279. of the Amalekites, and David the chariots and horsemen fol- 1. Olymp. 279," had abode two days in Ziklag; lowed hard after him. Anno ante I. 2 It came even to pass on the third day, 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw that, behold, a man came out of the camp me, and called unto me. b And I answered, from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth Here am I. upon his head and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. 3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4 And David said unto him, & How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. 5 ^And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? 8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. 9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. 12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted 6 And the young man, that told him, said, until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, Heb. Behold me.- hOr, my coat of mail, or, my embroidered coat hindereth me, that my, &c.- Judg. ix. 54. k Chap. iii. 31; xiii. 31. David, and told the he of having despatched Saul, merely to ingratiate himself with David. Verse 8. I am an Amalekite.] Dr. Delaney remarks that an Amalekite took that crown from off the head of Saul, which he had forfeited by his disobedience in the case of Amalek. Verse 10. The crown and the bracelet] The crown was probably no more than a royal fillet or diadem, 13 And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.. 14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD's anointed? m n 1 15 And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.. 16 And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed." 17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: 18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) 19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places," how are the mighty fallen! 20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the * Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Num. xii. 8, m 1 Sam. xxxi. 4. 1 Sam. xxiv. 6; xxvi. 9; Psa. cv. 15.—Chap. iv. 10, 12.1 Sam. xxvi. 9; 1 Kings ii. 32, 33, 37.4 Ver. 10; Luke xix. 22.] Sam. xxxi. 3. Josh. x. 33. Or, of the upright.- Ver. 27; 1 Mac. ix. 21.1 Sam. xxxi. 9; Mic. i. 10; see Judg. xvi. 23. both being the ensigns of royalty. It is sometimes customary in the East for a sovereign prince to give a crown and bracelets, when investing others with dominion or authority over certain provinces. Had Saul these in token of his being God's vicegerent, and that he held the kingdom from him alone? over Saul and Jonathan. A. M. 2949. B. C. 1055. An. Exod. Isr. 436. Anno ante I. Olymp. 279. 21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. 22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan, turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. с 23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. d 24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. 26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. e Many of David's Psalms have titles prefixed to them; some are termed Shosannim, some Maschil, Nehiloth, Neginoth, &c., and this one here, Kadesh or The Bow, because it was occasioned by the Philistine archers. 1 Sam. xxxi. 3: “And the archers hit him." But especially respecting the bow of Jonathan,, Verse 16. Thy blood be upon thy head]. If he killed" which returned not back from the blood of the slain," Saul, as he said he did, then he deserved death; at that time it was not known to the contrary, and this man was executed on his own confession. Verse 17. David lamented] See this lamentation, and the notes on it at the end of this chapter. Verse 18. The use of the bow] The use of is not in the Hebrew; it is simply the how, that is, a song thus entitled. See the observations at the end.... Verse 21. As though he had not been] Instead of beli, NOT, I read keley, INSTRUMENTS. Anointed with oil.] See the observations at the end. Chap. i. ver. 18, &c. : He bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow, Ap kasheth. The word kasheth is to be understood of the title of the song which immediately follows, and not of the use of the bow, as our translation intimates. as the song itself expresses. And David could not but remember the bow of Jonathan, out of which "the arrow was shot beyond the lad," 1 Sam. xx. 36. It was the time when that covenant was made, and that affection expressed between them "which was greater than the love of women.' On these accounts the song was entitled Kasheth, or The song of the Bow; and David commanded the chief musicians, Ethan, Heman, and Jeduthun, to teach the children of Judah to sing it. "It is written in the book of Jasher." Sept., exɩ Bißhiov Tov Evdovs, "in the book of the upright." NINTO siphra deoraitha, "The book of the Law."-Jonathan. The Arabic says, "Behold it is written in the book of Ashee; this is the book of Samuel;" the interpretation of which is, “book of songs or canticles," This lamentation is justly admired as a picture of distress the most tender, and the most striking; unequally divided by grief into longer and shorter breaks, as nature, could pour them forth from a mind interrupted by the alternate recurrence of the most lively images of love and greatness.`. His reverence for Saul and his love for Jonathan have their strongest colourings; but their greatness and bravery come full upon him, and are expressed with peculiar energy. Being himself a warrior, it is in that, character be sees their greatest excellence; and though his imagination hurries from one point of recollection to another, yet we hear him-at first, at last, everywhere-lamenting, How are the mighty fallen! It is almost impossible to read the noble original without finding every word swollen with a sigh or broken with a sob. A heart pregnant with distress, and striving to utter expressions descriptive of its feelings, which are repeatedly interrupted by an excess of grief, is most sensibly painted throughout the whole. Even an English reader may be convinced of this, from the following specimen in European characters :19. Hatstsebi Yishrael al bamotheycha chalal; Eych naphelu gibborim; 20. Al taggidu begath, AI tebasseru bechutsoth Ashkelon; Pen taalozenah benoth haarelim. 21. Harey baggilboa al tal, 26. Tsar li aleycha achi Yehonathan, naamta li meod, Niphleathah ahabathecha li meahabath nashim! 27. Eych naphelu gibborim, Vaiyobedu keley milchamah! The three last verses in this sublime lamentation have sense and sound so connected as to strike every. reader.. Dr. Kennicott, from whom I have taken several of the preceding remarks, gives a fine Latin version of this song, which I here subjoin : O decus Israelis, super excelsa tua MILES! Nolite indicare in plateis Ascalonis : Montes Gilboani, super vos on David's lamentation. Arcus Jonathanis non retrocesserat ; Amabiles erant et jucundi in vitis suis, - Præ aquilis veloces ! Præ leonibus fortes! Qui coccino cum deliciis vos vestivit, O Jonathan, super excelsa tua MILES.! Frater mi, Jonathan !.. DISSERTATION I,, p. 122. is not used in any part of the Bible in the sense of quasi non, as though not, in which sense it must be used here if it be retained as a genuine reading: The shield of Saul as though it had not been anointed with oil. In a MS. written about the year 1200, numbered 30 in Kennicott's Bible, keley is found; and also in the first edition of the whole Hebrew Bible, printed Soncini 1488. Neither the Syriac nor Arabic versions, nor the Chaldee paraphrase, acknowledge the negative particle beli, which they would have done had it been in the copies from which they translated. It was easy to make the mistake, as there is such à similarity between beth and caph; the line therefore should be read thus: The shield of Saul, weapons anointed with oil. In ver. 22 nasheg, to obtain, attain, seems to have been written for 110 nasog, to recede, return. The former destroys the sense; the latter, which our translation has followed, and which is supported by the' authority of 30 MSS., makes it not only intelligible but beautiful. chalalim occur, which we translate the SLAIN;, but which In verses 19, 22, and 25, and on chalal and Dr. Kennicott, I think from good authority, renders soldier and soldiers; and thus the version is made more consistent and beautiful. n chalal signifies to bore or pierce through; and this epithet might be well given to a soldier, q. d., the PIERCER, because his business is to transfix or pierce his enemies with sword, spear, and arrows. If it be translated soldiers in the several places of the Old Testament, where we translate it SLAIN or WOUNDED, the sense will be much mended; see Judg. xx. 31, 39; Psa. lxxxix, 11; Prov. vii. 26; Jer. li 4, 47, 49; Ezek. xi. 6, 7; xxi. 14. In several others it retains its radical signification of piercing, out by the intelligent.reader. wounding, &c. AFTER these general observations I leave the particular beauties of this inimitable song to be sought king over Judah. Much has been written upon this, which cannot, consistently with the plan of these notes, be admitted here. See Delaney, Kennicott, Lowth, &c.; and, above all, let the reader examine the Hebrew text.... CHAPTER II. David, by the direction of God, goes up to Hebron, and is there anointed king over the house of Judah, 1-4. He congratulates the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead on their kindness in rescuing the bodies of Saul and his sons from the Philistines, 5–7. Abner anoints Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel; over whom he reigned two years, 8-10. David reigns over Judah, in Hebron, seven years and six months, 11. Account of a battle between Abner, captain of the Israelites, and Joab, captain of the men of Judah; in which the former are routed with the loss of three hundred and sixty men but Asahel, the brother of Joab, is killed by Abner, 12–32. A. M. 2949. An. Exod. Isr., 436. Anno ante AND it came to pass after this, the men of Jabesh-gilead were 4 A. M. 2949. B. C. 1055. An. Exod, Isr. 436. Anno ante I. Olymp. 279. I. Olymp. 279. any of the cities of Judah? And unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, LORD, that ye have showed this kindness Unto Hebron. unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now truth unto you 2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife, the Carmelite. : 3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came; and there they anointed, David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That a Judg. i. 1; 1 Sam. xxiii. 2, 4, 9; xxx. 7, 8.31; ver. 11; chap. v. 1, 3; 1 Kings ii, 11. d1 Sam. xxvii. 2, 3; xxx. 1; 1 Chron. xii. 1. 1 Sam. xxx. e 1 Sam. xxx. 5. NOTES ON CHAP. II. Verse 1. David inquired of the Lord] By means of Abiathar the priest; for he did not know whether the different tribes were willing to receive him, though he was fully persuaded that God had appointed him king over Israel. Unto Hebron.] The metropolis of the tribe of Judah, one of the richest regions in Judea. The mountains of Hebron were famed for fruits, herbage, and honey; and many parts were well adapted for vines, olives, and different. kinds of grain, abounding in springs of excellent water, as the most accurate travellers have asserted. Verse 4. Anointed David king] He was anointed before by Samuel, by which he acquired jus ad regnum, a right To the kingdom; by the present anointing he had jus in regno, authority OVER the kingdom. The other parts of the kingdom were, as yet, attached to the family of Saul.. Verse 5. David sent messengers unto-Jabesh-gilead] This was a generous and noble act, highly indicative of the grandeur of David's mind. He respected Saul as his once legitimate sovereign; he loved Jonathan as h the LORD show kindness and and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing, 7 Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them. 8 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Ver. 11 chap. v. 5; 1 Mac. ii. 57. f] Sam. xxxi. 11, 13. Ruth ii. 20; ii. 10; Psa. cxv. 15.- h2 Tim. i. 16, 18. i Heb, be ye the sons of valour: 1 Sam. xiv. 50. his most intimate friend. The former had greatly injured him, and sought his destruction; but even this did not cancel his respect for him, as the anointed of God, and as the king of Israel. This brings to my remembrance that fine speech of Saurin, when speaking of the banishment of the Protestants from France by the revocation of the edict of Nantes. He thus at the Hague apostrophizes Louis XIV., their persecutor : Et toi, prince redoubtable, que j'honorai jadis comme mon roi, et que je respecte encore comme le fleau du Seigneur. "And-thou, O formidable prince, whom I once honoured as my king, and whom I still reverence as the scourge of the Lord!" Verse 7. Now let your hands be strengthened] David certainly wished to attach the men of Jabesh to his interest; he saw that they were generous and valiant, and must be of great service to him whose part they espoused; and he was no doubt afraid that they would attach themselves to the house of Saul, in consideration of the eminent services Saul had rendered them in rescuing them from Nahash, king of the Ammonites. Verse 8, Abner the son of Ner] This man had long |